The clearing was silent as the cats sat around the Great Oak. Wrenstar, ShadowClan's leader, stepped forward.

"Prey is running well, despite the approaching leaf-fall," the she-cat meowed. "ShadowClan has three new warriors that we would like to welcome tonight: Nightspring, Breezetail, and Moleclaw."

Badgerpaw joined her voice with the rest of the Clans in the cheering chant. "Nightspring! Breezetail! Moleclaw!" Badgerpaw noticed the two gray cats beside her had their heads held up with pride.

"Unfortunately, we have no apprentices at the moment, but Snowflight's kits will be ready soon. Cherryleaf has also joined the nursery."

The she-cat stepped back, and looked around at the leaders sitting on other limbs. Redstar looked like he was about to speak, but Ashstar yowled out first.

"WindClan is strong." She stared down defiantly at the other cats, as though she expected them to challenge the statement. "A badger made a den on our territory, but Muddyfoot, Whitefeather, and Grayclaw chased it out away from the clans."

Murmurs of approval spread across, but Badgerpaw noticed that they mainly came from ShadowClan and WindClan themselves. ShadowClan has no reason to be at odds with them right now, she thought.

Redstar stood on the limb, balancing easily thanks to his ThunderClan training. "ThunderClan has two new apprentices, Thistlepaw and Badgerpaw."

The Clans gave murmurs of congratulations, but there was no cheers. Badgerpaw realized she would have to wait for her warrior name for that honor.

"We have less pleasant news," Redstar meowed. "There has been trespassing on our territory by the stream of our border."

Ashstar tensed. "Are you implying anything, Redstar?" she hissed.

"I'm implying nothing," Redstar meowed. Badgerpaw shuddered. His voice was calm, but terrifying. "I am stating a fact. And the fact is that WindClan has trespassed onto ThunderClan territory multiple times in the past moon, with evidence that prey was caught."

Yowls of outrage from WindClan cats erupted across the clearing. Badgerpaw saw Blossomwhisker spitting at a black WindClan tom, and she felt Thistlepaw bristle beside her.

"Everyone quiet!" Pikestar hissed. When the clearing was once again silent, if ruffled, he meowed, "We, too, have caught WindClan scent on out land."

WindClan said nothing at this, but all of their eyes were narrowed in anger.

Redstar looked to the gray-brown she-cat. "Well Ashstar?" he asked, amber eyes glittering with an anger that Badgerpaw had never seen in the calm leader's gaze. "What do you say in your defense?"

"WindClan needs territory," she meowed quietly, but the whole clearing could hear her words. "We do what we must to get it."

"Even if that means invading the land of others?" Pikestar hissed. "It's against the warrior code to trespass!"

"And it is in the warrior code for me to provide for my Clan!" Ashstar's voice grew louder. "What am I supposed to do, let my Clan starve?"

"You said that WindClan was strong," Redstar meowed. "Is this you admitting to your lie?"

"I didn't lie," Ashstar retorted. "I am simply worried for the future of my Clan. We are growing, even as we approach the cold seasons. I must provide prey for the kits that will soon be here."

"And ThunderClan and RiverClan need to supply prey for the kits we already have," Pikestar hissed.

"RiverClan doesn't even hunt on land," Ashstar growled. "What does it matter to you if we take a few mice?"

Yowls of outrage erupted again, this time from the RiverClan cats. Specklepaw and Runningpaw were among them.

It was Wrenstar who demanded silence this time. "Ashstar," she meowed, "if you take territory from ThunderClan and RiverClan, it is likely they will seek some from us. ShadowClan will be supporting ThunderClan and RiverClan if it comes to battles." She flicked her tail. "StarClan will be on our side for this dispute. You cannot say the same."

Ashstar's eyes flamed with fury. "Very well," she hissed. "Pikestar, did you have anything you needed to report?" Her voice was cold.

"As a matter of fact, yes," the gray tabby mewed. "Mistypool has given birth to three healthy kits."

No mews of joy came from the WindClan cats.

"That is all," Pikestar meowed, and he dipped his head.

"WindClan, we're leaving," Ashstar meowed, jumping from the tree. All of the WindClan cats stood and left, casting glares at the rest of the Clans.

Nightspring shook himself. "That was a tense gathering," he mewed. He looked at the cats seated around him. "Good to know that I will be fighting alongside you cats if it comes to it."

Breezetail nodded. "I hope it doesn't though," she mewed worriedly. "A war between the Clans wouldn't be good. And just for a bit of territory?"

"It's Ashstar who's causing it," Badgerpaw meowed, though her voice was shaking. "If she would just back off, it wouldn't need to happen."

"We shouldn't have waited 'til the gathering to confront her," Thistlepaw insisted. "This could've been solved a lot more quickly."

"But now you have two Clans allied with you," Runningpaw pointed out. He looked over his shoulder. "My mentor is calling me," he meowed. "May StarClan light your paths. C'mon, Specklepaw." The two apprentices stood and dashed off.

"Well, I suppose we better be off, too," Breezetail meowed, standing and stretching.

"Say hello to Berrypaw for me," Nightspring meowed, padding away with his sister.

"I guess we should find our mentors," Badgerpaw meowed. Her paws were trembling from the excitement tonight. Weren't gatherings supposed to be peaceful?

Thistlepaw nodded. Badgerpaw noticed that her eyes were glimmering with anger. Before they could even stand to look around, Featherleg had found them.

"You two didn't get into any fights, did you?" he asked.

"No," Badgerpaw meowed. "We talked to some apprentices from RiverClan and met the new ShadowClan warriors."

Featherleg nodded. "Good. Having friends in those Clans will prove helpful in the long run. Especially RiverClan. We don't get in many disputes with them, since our territory isn't connected."

"I can't believe WindClan tried to deny it!" Thistlepaw growled. "After a full moon of it-"

"What did you expect?" Ravnetail asked, padding up to the group. "For them to own up to it immediately and apologize? No. They have to make it seem as though they are in the right." He shook his head. "They're ridiculous. It's a good thing that Wrenstar's the leader of ShadowClan now. She's got a level head on her shoulders."

"C'mon," Featherleg meowed. "I think Redstar's ready to leave."

"You two better train hard," Raventail meowed to Thistlepaw and Badgerpaw. "There's a battle coming soon. I can feel it."